APPEAL RULING: Murder Conviction Upheld

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APPEAL RULING: Murder Conviction Upheld

The Iowa Court of Appeals is upholding the murder conviction of a Greene man who killed his wife in 2011.

Thomas Petersen was convicted of first degree murder in the death of his wife Renee. Prosecutors said Petersen killed her in front of the couple’s two-year-old son. He went on the run after the murder with his son, but was caught in South Dakota.

He was sentenced to life in prison following his conviction in 2012. In his appeal, he claimed there wasn’t sufficient evidence to support the guilty verdict and several evidentiary rulings required a reversal.

The court released its ruling Thursday, upholding the conviction and saying there was sufficient evidence to support malice, aforethought, and specific intent in the case.